The present invention relates to a dispenser and, more particularly, to a toilet paper roll dispenser which facilitates the dispensing of two and more rolls.
Toilet paper dispensers are usually found in the bathrooms of the typical home or in public restrooms. The known dispensers vary in size and model, but generally provide a configuration which allows for a paper roll to rotate about itself as paper is being dispensed therefrom. More elaborate models of dispensers have provided methods to store paper rolls. For instance, large families or frequently attended bathrooms may require such dispensers. These avoid the inconvenience of running out of toilet paper during use, and help reduce the manpower required to refill the dispensers.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,917,641, issued on Jul. 11, 1933 to Fairchild discloses a rack of cylindrical shape resting on a lateral surface thereof and enclosing toilet paper rolls. The toilet paper rolls are disposed around a shaft axially disposed in the rack, such as to rotate thereabout. A portion of the lateral surface of the cylindrical rack provides an opening for paper of an end paper roll to be dispensed therethrough, whereas one or more other toilet paper rolls are encaged therein. A cap is hinged to an edge of the lateral surface such as to cover an end of the cylindrical rack and to provide access to the interior of the rack. Once the end paper roll is used up, the hollow tube core section thereof may be removed by opening the cap, in which case the adjacent stored paper roll is pushed into a dispensing position by a spring-biased plate disposed inside the rack and connected to an opposed end thereof.
Although the above described patent provides the possibility to store rolls of toilet paper in a dispenser, manual intervention is still required in order to remove the core sections such that the stored toilet paper roll may reach a dispensing position. Although this is not an issue if the dispenser is used domestically, it does represent a disadvantage in the instances where the hinged cap is locked to the rack, as may be the case with dispensers used in public restrooms, wherein the cap is locked to prevent toilet paper theft. Furthermore, the above described dispenser is generally restricted to permanent wall mounting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,626 issued on Apr. 12, 1966 to Casteel, discloses a toilet tissue dispenser having an upstanding paper roll container of rectangular cross-section having a dispensing head portion at a top end thereof. The toilet paper rolls are disposed one on another on their lateral surfaces and the bottommost roll lies on a moveable plate. The moveable plate is secured to a lifting mechanism having a lever portion which is disposed such as to be handled by an operator. The dispensing portion comprises moveable pivot portions which may be engaged on either sides of a hollow tube core section of a roll having reached the dispensing portion. Once the paper roll is used up, the pivot portions may be released such that the hollow tube core is ejected from the dispensing portion. Thereafter, the operator may pull up the lever to move the stack of paper rolls upwards, whereby a second paper roll is loaded in the dispensing portion.
Although the above described patent discloses a method for storing a great quantity of toilet paper rolls, manual intervention is still required in order to load paper rolls in the dispensing portion. For hygiene purposes, some people may be reluctant in handling the lever to load a toilet paper roll if the dispenser is part of a public restroom. Furthermore, some users of public restrooms may not be familiar with the loading method of such an apparatus, in which case periodic manual attendance is still required.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a toilet paper dispenser which substantially overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a toilet paper dispenser which is simple in use and inexpensive to produce.